


No Place Like Home

by Fullmetalnyuu



Series: No Place Like Home [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-16 20:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5840500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fullmetalnyuu/pseuds/Fullmetalnyuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Weiss found salvation in her dreams, in her writing, and in her art. When she needed a hiding place, she needed only to pop in her earbuds or close her eyes and be whisked away to her own personal paradise, even if the escape only lasted a few short moments. Between those short moments, however, she always longed for a place she could call home, a place where every waking moment could be something meaningful and safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Rose By Any Other Name...

**No Place Like Home – Chapter One – A Rose By Any Other Name…**

 

It was morning outside…but it was still dark to her. The daytime could never be as bright as it was at night, even on the sunniest of days. She felt it in her heart. She knew that the night was the brightest time for her…the sun hurt because it forced her to wake up. Humans had to wake up…but she had the next night to look forward to. Pulling herself out of bed and slipping on a simple long-sleeve grey shirt and a pair of cargo shorts, she sighed and rubbed her arm. With the lights off in her room, the sunlight filtering in from the cracked blinds made it look almost orange, a sickly, dusty shade. She liked that color, but she liked red better. It was her only friend’s favorite color. Stretching, she looked to the side and curled her body forward suddenly, seeing the time was nearing seven thirty. But this time, there wasn’t a slam. Not a shout. It almost worried her that there was such silence now…almost. She had about twenty minutes before she had to catch the bus, so she sat down at the desk by her door and flipped open her laptop, expertly typing in her password. Breathing out quickly, she slipped on a pair of new headphones she received as a gift not too long ago. Free stuff: one good thing about the holidays.

Scrolling through her music, she looked for something that would set the mood of this quick scene. Metal? No, it won’t be violent. Rock? Nah, she didn’t feel like anything heroic…Maybe Pop? Well…sure, she could do sentimental. Grabbing a mechanical pencil off the desk in front of her, she brushed some of her hair out of her face. After attempting to write something in the notebook on her desk, she sighed and put her pencil in her pocket. Flicking her hair back again, she laid her hand on the desk and searched for a couple ponytail holders, pulling her hair back and up into a ponytail on the side of her head. _Better._ She decided, looking at the clock again and realizing that a couple minutes had passed, and still, no commotion from the rest of the house. Pursing her lips, she slowly opened the door to her room, peeking out into the hallway. Nobody there, all the other doors closed. Letting out another light sigh, she slipped out of her room and shot into the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind her and locking it. She rested her hands on the counter, her head hanging. Closing her eyes for a second or two, she opened them again, looking up at her reflection. Shoulder blade-length light blonde hair, now pulled into a side ponytail. A drawn face, not looking starved or insufficient in any immediately noticeable way, just…tired. Tired indeed, as evidenced by her slightly hunched style of movement, and the purple streaks under her eyes…her blue eyes. She felt like those were the only things about her that anyone could like. There was a lot that she didn’t like about herself, but she did have those bright, crystalline eyes despite everything else.

Resting a hand on her face, she pulled her fingers down between her eyes and around her nose, resting them on her lips. If she personally owned any makeup, she probably would have been covered with it. Shaking her head, she opened the door and shuffled out of the bathroom, wondering if she had the time to make anything worth eating. Stretching and glancing at the watch on her wrist, her eyes widened and she ran to the front room of the house. She grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, taking one last look at the doorway leading to the dining room, seeing a couple tall, empty bottles strewn over the table, accompanied by two five dollar bills. Putting her hand on the front door’s knob, she considered, for a split-second, the idea of not going to school, but instead throwing away everything that tied her to the place and packing her bag with the things she’d need to survive for a week or more on her own until she could find…

Before she got any farther in her fantasy, she was already on the bus and in the first seat with a sixth grader poking the back of her head with a pen. Narrowing her eyes more and more with each touch, her arms shook…but she couldn’t do anything. She wondered what kind of punishment she would get for hitting a kid. She WAS a junior in high-school. Letting out a growl from deep in her throat, she turned around and grabbed his arm tightly, tight enough to hurt him, and he dropped the pen. “You think it’s funny? Do you?” She asked, tilting her head a different way with each question. “Let me SHOW you HOW FUNNY IT IS!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, grabbing the pen and stabbing it through his eye. She could feel it pierce all the way to his brain…she twisted the pen and yanked it out as he fell down, blood gushing from the…

Blinking twice, she shook her head and looked behind her, seeing all of the little kids snickering as they got off at their stop, the middle school. The little boy that was poking her acted macho as he left. Figures…boys of all ages are idiots. Resting her chin on her fist, she looked out the window until the bus stopped outside the high school. Closing her eyes, she pulled a strap of her bag over her arm, supporting it with the other one as she got off the bus. Standing still as it drove away, she took a breath and walked forward with her head down, completely alone outside. She was the only high school student that rode that bus to or from school, and since she was the last one off, she had a bit of time to talk to the driver. He was interesting…not ancient, but old enough to know how to be observant. He had a pair of glasses, and his favorite color was green. She liked talking to him, because he always had a bit of wisdom to give her. He was the only one besides her friend that didn’t treat her like nothing…or below that.

Opening up the door to the school, she walked to the right side of the main hall, away from all the traffic. She also kept her eyes tight on her shoes, so as not to draw any unwanted attention to herself. She picked a spot on the wall between the two side hallways of the school, sitting down on the tiled floor and putting her back on the smooth wall. Resting her head back, she rummaged through a pocket on her backpack, her hand closing around an mp3 player with a pair of earbuds wrapped around it. Pulling it out and unwrapping the cord, she put the buds in and cycled through her music, looking for something that would block out her thoughts, not cause them to come.  Shuffle it is.

Halestorm.

She liked Halestorm.

“…”

_Huh? Could’ve sworn I…heard something._

She thought, keeping her eyes closed. Well, they were closed until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Then, they flew open and she went rigid, her eyes darting back and forth in search of exit points. Shifting her head slowly to the side, she was prepared to do something drastic when she saw that it was just her friend trying to get her attention. Slumping, she pulled the earbuds out and waited, looking at the floor.

“Oh, THERE you are, Weiss! I was starting to think that you crapped out on me.” Her friend said, tapping her on the head lightly. “I figured you were going to come to the cafeteria. I guess…I was wrong, huh? Well, that’s okay. I’m just fine sitting here too.”

“Ruby, you…don’t have to do that.” Weiss retorted. She guessed that the tone of her voice sent the OPPOSITE message, though, because Ruby was right beside her in a fraction of a second. Weiss always wondered where she got her energy from.

Leaning over Weiss to peek at her mp3 player, Ruby tilted her head to look her in the face. “Of course I do. You’re my friend…it’s my job to be here for you, whether you need it or not.” She stated with a wide smile, which Weiss weakly returned.

 _Yeah, that’s right…_ She thought, holding down the mp3’s power button and wrapping the earbuds back around it. _It is, isn’t it?_

“Well, classes start in a few minutes. I’ll catch you later, Weiss.” Ruby said, helping her up and giving her a quick hug and a wave, adjusting her backpack straps and zipping up her hoodie. Leaning against the wall, Weiss put her head against it and closed her eyes. Crossing her arms, she pulled them close, looking down at her chest, the dull grey of her shirt boring into her eyes. She liked what Ruby was wearing today…she didn’t really have anything like that. Nothing special. Closing her eyes a little tighter, she tilted her head down.

\---

Ruby was two years under her in age, 15 and a freshman. She hadn’t known Weiss for that long, but it was long enough. They met during the summer of last year, and it was totally by chance. It was actually at a convenience store when it happened, and it was nothing big. Weiss was just trying to buy a few things and she was short a few cents…Ruby heard the cashier, and before Weiss could put anything back she stepped up and paid the rest for her. That was like a good morning wake-up call to Weiss…it was the last thing she expected to get any kind of help from anybody. In fact, she didn’t even consider it. When Ruby did that for her, she wanted to know more about that girl…she wanted to be around her. Maybe she could learn a couple things. So, she hung around in the store until Ruby was done inside, expecting her to get into one of the cars parked outside and ride off. It was a SECOND surprise when the girl started to walk past the cars and towards Weiss’ road. Hesitating for a moment and making a short noise in the back of her throat, she shook her head and walked after her a ways.

“You know, if you’re going to follow someone you could at least let her know first.” Ruby said plainly, not stopping or turning around. That stopped Weiss dead in her tracks. Stumbling over her words, she looked to the side and then tilted her head and looked at Ruby’s back.

“Why did you help me back there? I could’ve handled it just fine.”  She said as a verbal counter-attack, albeit a weak one. At least it made the girl stop and turn around…although her face wasn’t much help in telling what she was thinking.

“I had some extra money, and you needed it more than me. That’s that.” The spunky girl retorted calmly with a smile. “Besides, I like helping people out. It’s what makes me happy.”

Happy.

_Happy?_

“Well…what’s your name?”

“Ruby.”

Weiss looked down for a moment. “We’re…going the same way.” She forced out through clenched teeth. She didn’t need help. She didn’t WANT help. And she sure as hell didn’t want to make a perfect stranger, of all people, happy. Then, Ruby walked over to her, her short black hair bobbing along. Flicking her bangs out of her eyes, she took Weiss by the shoulders and looked her in the eye.

“Everyone needs help from time to time.” She said with a smile. Stopping in her tracks yet again, Weiss blinked a couple times and held her mouth open, looking down slowly. Standing still with her, Ruby let go of her shoulders and crossed her arms. “So, we’re going the same way, right?” Ruby asked, Weiss nodding in response. Starting to get her feet moving again, Weiss slowly made her way up the right side of the street, with Ruby matching her pace. “You never told me YOUR name.” She said with a slightly pointed tone, putting her hands behind her head.

“Well…it’s…Weiss…” The blonde answered quietly, looking down and watching her feet shuffle along. Nodding, Ruby smiled and turned down a street Weiss wasn’t familiar with, but she went ahead and followed along. After a few more minutes of silent walking, Ruby stopped and let out a breath.

“Well, this is it. Nice to meet you, Weiss.” She said, holding out her hand for a shake. When Weiss just looked at it, slightly confused, she drew it back and laughed lightly, shrugging. “Ah…are you new in this area? I haven’t seen you in school or anything.” Ruby asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“Ah, no…” Weiss began, shaking her head, “I’ve actually been here all my life.” She finished, looking at the door to what she assumed was Ruby’s house.

“Oh, that’s weird. You must be homeschooled then…what are you like…fourteen?” Ruby asked with a tilt of her head.

Pursing her lips and feeling her cheeks slightly pinken, Weiss shook her head, wringing her hands. “No, I’m sixteen actually…” She answered quietly, wondering if she actually looked that young, Ruby was making fun of her, or trying to be nice to her. Whatever the case, she was completely at a loss as to how to receive the comment.

Letting out a light breath, Ruby smiled warmly at her and tried to move into her field of vision. “Ah, I was hoping you’d be a freshman like me… _I’m_ fourteen.” Rubbing the back of her head, she turned the smile upwards into a slight smirk and stabbed her thumb up towards her house. “Anyway, I’ve gotta go. It was good meeting you Weiss.”

Nodding weakly, Weiss tried to respond but found herself at a loss for words, instead throwing up a small wave as Ruby walked up the path and through the door into her home. Closing her eyes, Weiss let out a sigh from deep within, turning and heading back to the place she lived, wishing that she could one day find a place to call home that was as nice as this one.

\---

Settling in her seat, Weiss unzipped her backpack and pulled out a pale blue notebook, laying it on the desk in front of her. Glancing from side to side, she observed her surroundings. Students were slowly filing in as the warning bell rang, their teacher standing at the head of the class and chatting with the teacher from across the hall. She couldn’t care less what they were talking about. Putting her head on the desk, she rested for a moment before slowly sitting up, opening the notebook and flipping a few pages in. Clicking her mechanical pencil, she breathed out before putting the point to the paper and trying to recount her dream.

\---

_Another combat exercise. Wonderful. Of course I would go out there with the team, no doubt being paired with Ruby. I wish she would slow down every once in a while. Making my way to the equipment lockers, I checked all of my supplies, and they were right where I left them. Nothing changed. Letting out a breath, I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of my rapier, Myrtenaster. I could practically feel the energy surge through my hand and up my arm as the skin of my palm made contact with the metal. I closed my eyes for a moment, just to get my bearings. Tilting my head and glancing to the left, I spied Blake getting ready, herself. I was beginning to wonder where Ruby had gotten off to all of a sudden. It wouldn’t be any good if she got started somewhere else…_

_But, pushing any worry over that dunce out of my mind, I straightened up and carefully pulled Myrtenaster from its aluminum prison, swishing it in front of the locker in which it was being held. Letting a light smirk pull up the edge of my mouth, I also grabbed the small grey pack which hung on a hook inside, attaching it above the edge of my combat skirt. Satisfied, I slid the blade between the belt and my side, surely securing it. ~~Wh As I~~ …_

\---

“Schnee…”

“SCHNEE!”

Jumping and throwing her pencil to the ground in surprise, Weiss closed her eyes tightly. “MIXED TRINOMIAL!” She yelled, hoping that it was the right answer. It…WAS what they were studying right now, right…? Judging by the incessant laughter and fiery glare the teacher was giving the ones doing it, however, she assumed that it was…not the right answer.

“The teacher’s calling roll, dumbass!” Some random guy yelled at her, causing her to flip around the other way, intending to use one of her brilliant comebacks but instead coming up short as she froze up. Her jaw shaking uncontrollably, she opened her mouth to quietly say “Here”, but instead it came out as a stuttering mess. Sinking down and laying her face on the table, she pulled her arms up to cover her head. Luckily, she sat in the middle of the back row so she didn’t get noticed much by the teacher. The trade was instead being bothered non-stop by anyone else who felt like it.

Clearing his throat, the teacher got up to the front to address the class and begin giving a…history lesson. That fact made Weiss sink even deeper into her seat. She felt almost like she was melting a hole through the floor…through the ground, and into the pits of fire that burn miles below the dirt…

She couldn’t hope to pay attention now, instead spending the rest of the period trying to be as inconspicuous as she could, pressing down against the desk. She heard whispers, snickers. She knew they were talking about her…if there was nothing else to talk about, they would talk about her, passing around rumors, ninety percent of them not even true and the remaining ten percent twisted out of context. Regardless of their truth, however…they _all_ just sent her deeper into a hole. The one thing she didn’t understand was what she had done to them…she couldn’t come up with any comebacks, and even if she did she never got one out of her mouth, so she couldn’t have made any of them mad that way. She’d never gotten into a fight with anyone before. To tell the absolute truth she was…afraid of it. Very afraid. All she had ever been was a girl who wanted desperately to just keep to herself and stay under the radar…it seemed like even in doing that, she only got herself embroiled even deeper into the mess.

She wondered what they were talking about today. Her clothes? Her hair? Her mistakes? It could have been anything. Anything at all. Keeping her cheek flat against her notebook, she clenched her fists and closed her eyes tightly. Feeling a tap on the top of her head, she snapped her eyes up, glaring at the girl sitting in front of her. Rolling her eyes and laughing slightly, the girl reached out to hand the paper to her, slightly surprised when Weiss snatched it from her hands. Putting her head back down immediately, Weiss wasn’t surprised at all when she heard the girl start snickering. She’d about had it with that prep…

Slowly, she clenched and unclenched her fists, sitting up in her seat and grabbing the other girl’s ponytail in both hands, pulling back as hard as she could and smiling as the nape of the girl’s neck made a sickening crack as it connected to the edge of the desk. “SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!” Weiss screamed as she continued to push and pull the girl’s head until her neck was nothing but a casing for her shattered vertebrae and fleshy tubes. Standing up slowly, Weiss watched as blood began to run from her nose…then her ears…

Sitting up with a start as the bell signaling the end of class sounded, Weiss sighed as she watched all of the students pick up their things and evacuate the room. Of course, that idiot in front of her kept on stealing glances even as she was walking out the door, giggling like she was 10 years younger. Steaming, Weiss shoved the notebook back into her bag and looked at the paper, all of the blanks and passages foreign to her eyes. Deciding to carry her notebook instead to make a bit of room, she stuffed the paper in and put her notebook under her arm, zipping up her pack. Slinging it over her shoulder with a sigh, she shuffled towards the door, glancing at the teacher who had a slightly sympathetic look on his face. She didn’t need his sympathy…she would much rather have apathy. Sulking out the door, she almost didn’t notice the girl leaning on the doorframe, waiting for her. Walking down the hall and hoping to be simply left alone, she felt a touch, but…it wasn’t threatening. She’d gotten used to how the palm of Ruby’s hand felt, learning how it closed, how warm it was…

Turning around, she met eyes with a smiling Ruby and couldn’t help but to stop scowling. She might not have smiled back, but that girl’s mood was far too contagious to ignore. Neither said a word as they walked along, but they didn’t really need to. They had learned how to handle each other’s company over the year they’d known each other, understanding that sometimes words would just get in the way. Slipping her hands in her coat pockets, Ruby kept her eyes ahead and walked along with a thoughtful look on her face. Weiss stood up a bit straighter, glancing down at her notebook and looking back up at Ruby after a moment. It was a little unsettling that she was shorter than a girl two years younger than her. It made sense though…Weiss suspected that Ruby was a much taller person than she was, and she was just fine having a taller person beside her. The hope was that some of the tallness would rub off on her someday.

It was that moment when she realized that they had been walking aimlessly. They were both far from their next class, and the warning bell was getting ready to ring, the halls all but deserted. Looking down at Weiss, Ruby raised an eyebrow and started to jog the right way. Huffing, Weiss held her hands in front of her for an instant before following at her own pace. The bell rang and they split paths, Ruby going up the main hall and Weiss taking a side hall to get to her own class. Arriving safely, Weiss leaned on the wall briefly before stepping inside and trying to regulate her breathing, taking her seat at the far edge of the class. Letting out a sigh of relief, she looked at the door, taking a breath and shifting her eyes back to her desk after a second or two.

Rooting through her backpack, she pulled out the paper from last class. Looking it over, she pursed her lips, closing her eyes and putting it back. _I don’t have the first clue about this…I even LIKE history and I don’t know._ She lamented, looking out the window. A smile slowly growing across her face, she closed her eyes again and put her head on her desk. _At least today is Friday…it’s Friday._ She thought, making sure to pay attention to the roll call this time.

\---

Slogging through three more classes, she was relieved when the bell for lunch rang, allowing her to get a bit of time to herself. She decided to skip eating today and go to the school library for as long as the lunch period lasted, since most of the time she didn’t eat anything at lunch anyway. Getting up out of her seat and pushing into the herd of students outside, she eventually made her way to the center hall, and it was only a few steps to the library doors. Pulling one of them open, she slipped inside and breathed out, walking over to the front desk. It wasn’t at all an impressive room, only about the size of three or four classrooms sandwiched together, but that was plenty of room for books. Weiss had tried asking the librarian about possibly ordering some more which she didn’t see on the shelf, but she could never get the words to come out right. She hated asking things of people…it was just a natural phobia she had, or so she had come to accept. Leaning on the desk, she breathed out before looking to her left and noticing a student sitting in the librarian’s chair. She assumed it was the PA, as this was also the lunch period for some of the staff and teachers. Tilting her head, Weiss examined the cover of the girl’s book as discreetly as possible, but failed at feigning disinterest. Flicking her eyes up, the girl tilted her head to the side and rested the book on her lap. “Um…do you need something…?” She asked, her long black hair falling back as she turned. Putting up her hands, Weiss shook her head and turned around quickly, flexing her fingers. _Blake Belladonna is the PA? Well…I guess I’m not surprised. But…where she is, someone else isn’t far…_ She thought before hearing a sort of high-pitched whine from under the desk.

“Blaaaaaake, I’m THIIIIRSSTYYYYYY.” The voice cried. Putting her finger and thumb on either side of the bridge of her nose, Blake closed her eyes and turned around, shaking her head. “I’m not stopping you from getting a drink…” She almost spat at the person hidden under there.

Crawling out, she stood up and stretched, her enormous amount of bright blonde hair bouncing with every movement. “But…I don’t want to walk all the way to the cafeteria…”

Shooting a look at her, Blake picked up her book. “I can’t help you, Yang.” She sighed, flipping the page. Puffing up her cheeks and crossing her arms, Yang mumbled and walked out of the door. Watching her go for a second or two, Weiss narrowed her eyes and turned back to Blake, who was already looking at her again. “Sorry about that…she INSISTS on following me everywhere when she’s out of a class…” Blake confirmed with a deep breath. “Was there something you wanted…or…?” She began before Weiss shook her head and held up a hand.

“No, I’ll…just go sit over there…” She said quickly, pointing to the back of the library. Shrugging, Blake looked back down at the book and leaned in her chair, pulling up her legs and crossing her ankles on the desk.

Dragging herself over to the comfortable chairs in the back corner of the library, Weiss dropped her backpack and sighed, settling into one before resting the notebook on her lap. Retrieving her pencil from her pocket, Weiss clicked it twice and felt the tip subconsciously, opening the notebook and flipping to the first blank page. Putting her pencil to the paper, she glanced to her sides, looking back down to concentrate and writing the first letter.

\---

_No matter how many Beowolves I defeat, I KNOW I’m given the same marks! It’s absolutely ridiculous. I don’t know what they’re trying to do, but it isn’t working. In any event, the exercise ran smoothly, as they generally do, and I could finally get a bit of rest, away from everything. Luckily, the rest of team RWBY was out of the room, probably meeting with JNPR across the hall about the next big stratagem. Personally, I preferred to let my own brain do the working. Pulling off my uniform, I settled onto my bed without bothering to change into my gown. It didn’t really matter much now, as I was too tired to do much of anything after those exercises, and I highly doubted that anyone unwanted would just waltz in. I actually felt like I was about to drift off into a light sleep when the door opened…not to my prior knowledge…and a figure slipped in. Still half-unconscious at this point, you can expect that the thing that I LEAST expected was to feel a hand on my back. Now, I had a lot of reactions in store for all sorts of different situations, but this…was something else. That hand was warm. I would know that hand anywhere…_

_So when I realized who exactly it was, I was sure my face began to turn a color comparable to her namesake. It made me very glad that I was curled on my side so she couldn’t see it. I didn’t know what she intended to do, but I was…willing…to find out. Hearing light steps travelling away followed by the door closing, the click unmistakable from anything else, my mind began to run through the possibilities, until I heard something that sounded like a ribbon coming undone. When the dull and almost silent thump of fabric on carpet met my ears, I…couldn’t know what was happening until I felt her torso press against my back. Her knees went into the crook of mine, and her arms went around my sides._

_My mind going into overdrive, I didn’t know what to do or how to react, all I could do was rest there, helpless, as she…laid with me. I could feel her breath on my neck, the rise and fall of her chest systematically pressing and receding from my back. I got a strange feeling deep in my gut that was almost…a pain. But it was something I wanted to keep feeling. In fact, it almost brought a tear to my eye the way it felt._

\---

“Whatcha’ writin’?” A peppy and familiar voice whispered in Weiss’ ear.

Her face instantly turning dark red, she could feel her teeth clacking inside her mouth as she slammed the notebook shut, her pencil falling to the ground. “N-N-N-Nahha…n-no-othing…at all…” Weiss feverishly answered, feeling a tug on her notebook.

“Come on, let me see.~” The girl whispered playfully, knowing she could easily get the notebook away from her friend if she wanted to in her current state.

“R…R-Ruby…it’s really j-just same ol’ you know!” Weiss said with a weak laugh, trying desperately to ward off Ruby’s advances.

“Uh-huh, that’s what you always say. What’s it _really_?” Ruby teased, letting go of the book.

“A…aha..a…I don’t know…” Weiss whispered with dwindling volume, looking down more and more with every noise.

“Fine, fine, I’ll leave you alone. Someday, I want to see it though! You write all the time, there’s no way you aren’t good.” Crossing her arms and leaning on the chair, Ruby looked over the library with faces of varying emotion and interest depending on what her eyes fell on. Releasing a deep, pent-up breath, Weiss looked at Ruby’s back for a good minute, her eyes narrowed. _If only Ruby knew…that most of them were about her_... She thought silently to herself, turning away. After a moment, she looked back up and opened her mouth to ask something of the girl standing before her. Of course, however…no words would find their way out of her mouth. Looking down at the floor again, Weiss slowly closed her eyes for a second before turning them to Ruby, reaching up and tugging on the girl’s jacket sleeve.

“Yeah?” She asked, tilting her head.

“It’s Friday…” Weiss said quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on a ceiling light across the library.

“So it is…” Ruby agreed, putting one hand on the arm of the chair and the other on the wall beside her.

“Well…do you think I could visit today?” Weiss asked, her tone matching her previous one.

Nodding, Ruby smiled. “Of course, Weiss. I thought I convinced you that you didn’t even need to ask me that. My house is yours.” She answered, straightening up. Looking at the floor and pursing her lips, Weiss swallowed and let out a shaky breath. _My house is yours._

_I shouldn’t be so worked up about this…it’s such a good thing…am I feeling this way because I AM happy? Why do happy and sad have to be so close to each other…I hate emotions…_

\---

_I could feel my body temperature rising from being this close to her. I could feel the way her stomach moved every time she took a breath or subconsciously flexed her muscles against my back. The way she was pressing against me, I didn’t doubt that her bra would leave an imprint in my back. It didn’t matter…just the fact that she’d randomly decided to do this…it left me.._

Tearing the page out of her notebook and balling it up, Weiss hurled it at the wall and it bounced off, hitting the adjacent wall and then the trash can but not quite making it in. Holding her legs up to her chest, Weiss sat on her bed and put her head between her knees, breathing out shakily. _I’ve got to get it together before I go over there…what would she think if…I…I don’t know…why do I have to think such things…why do I have to think so much…? What would she have said to me if she DID read it? There are so many others in my other notebooks that it’s past the point of being a joke…is this how I have fun? Doing this to my only friend…in a world where she has no say in anything, no less. What kind of sick…girl am I…_

Laying a hand over her face, Weiss shuddered a few times before dragging it down and feeling her neck. Within a second she was at her door, bag in hand. She was intending to spend at least one night there, and it didn’t matter how it went. At least she would be there in the first place. Walking out of her door and into the hall, Weiss shuffled quietly down and out into the dining room which was directly adjacent to the kitchen and across from the living room where the front door was, taunting her. The table was slightly different than it was this morning, but not much. Now there was a comb laying there in place of one of the five dollar bills. Sighing, she stepped out of the front door and into the evening, speed walking to cross the street. Taking in a deep breath, she made her way down the road ahead.


	2. Good Night

**No Place Like Home – Chapter 2 – Good Night**

Weiss looked up at the sky as she strode along, her thumbs hooked under the straps of her bag. A wire was snaking out of her pocket, splitting into two and connecting to the earbuds she had balanced in her ears, bobbing along with her steps. Her eyes focusing on one cloud in particular, she noted that it looked like a thick dish, grayish yellow in color. The day was coming to an end, and Weiss wondered why she hadn’t left earlier. She assumed that it was difficult for Ruby to understand why it was so hard for her to do anything…it was probably difficult for anyone to understand. Even she fully didn’t. Her fear of interaction seemed illogical even to her, but that didn’t stop it from existing. Sighing, she pulled out her mp3 player and switched the playlist to Foo Fighters, putting it back and turning onto Ruby’s street. She stood still for a few seconds before hesitantly going ahead. At least she made it this far; that was something.

As the music flowed into her ears, she held her head a little higher and forced herself to keep pressing onward. A smile on her face now, she guessed that her luck was going to turn around. Bobbing her head, she looked at all the houses on the left, remembering Ruby’s to be the one on the corner. Nodding to herself, Weiss hopped over the curb and walked to the door, rearing to knock on it and stopping for a moment. Hesitation at this point was…pointless. At that thought, she rang the doorbell instead and leaned on the wall. The chorus of the current song was actually starting to tear at her. Her teeth clacking lightly, she breathed out but almost fell over when the door opened and a tall man with a tan leather jacket and blue jeans, accompanied by stubble on his face and steel in his eye faced her. He opened his mouth to say something, and he surely did, but Weiss couldn’t hear it. She…suddenly realized the problem. Shakily pulling out the earbuds, her lips quivered as she smiled awkwardly.

Tilting his head, the man at the door furrowed his eyebrows and took a breath, Weiss taking a step back. He could see fear clearly in her eyes, but he didn’t get why. Holding up a hand, he left the door open and went into the house. Her eyebrows twitching in time with the corner of her mouth, Weiss knew she recognized the place, but nothing else caught her immediate attention. Maybe she got the wrong house. That conclusion became more and more solid as she stepped out of the doorway and began to turn around. “Hey, Weiss. Long-time no-see, huh?” A familiar voice joked.

Freezing in her tracks, Weiss turned back as if on a hinge and pushed her shoulders forward. “Well…I made it...” She said, straightening up slightly.

Laughing, Ruby walked down and took her arm. “Weiss, this is my dad.” She explained, nodding to him. He nodded back and rubbed his head, looking between the two girls and breathing out lightly, turning to go deeper into the house. Following him, Ruby dragged Weiss along by her arm for no apparent reason, closing the front door behind them and bringing Weiss down a small entry hall and into the living room. There was a couch immediately in front of them, facing what Weiss assumed was an average sized flatscreen mounted on the wall. Instantly, she noticed that the TV was in use by the girl sitting cross-legged on the couch, her yellow hair blinding against the light tan of the wall.

“Wait, wait…” Weiss began, pointing ahead of her. “Yang…Long…is your sister?” She asked enthusiastically, tilting her head.

Rubbing her head and smiling, Ruby laughed lightly. “Well…it’s a long story. She’s my half-sister.” She clarified, Weiss bobbing her head in response.

Turning her head back at the mention of her name, Yang caught Weiss in her peripheral vision and smirked, closing her eyes. “Weiss Schnee? That’s…weird.” She muttered before going back to focusing on the program she was watching.

Rolling her eyes, Ruby took Weiss right, after she took off her shoes, into a T hallway and turned left. “Welp, that’s my room through the door.”

Weiss nodded and leaned forward, eyeing a sign on the door that read ‘Rose Garden’ in some tacky font. Chuckling, she stabbed her thumb at the door and nodded. “Clever.”

Rolling her eyes again and putting her hands on her hips, Ruby took a breath in and let it out slowly. “You can blame my ‘ten years ago’ self for that. I’ve just never taken it down.” She explained with a shrug. “Aaaaanyway, bathroom’s right there, and the kitchen and stuff is right back past the couch and to the left behind the wall.” Ruby continued after a short pause, pointing one way and then the other.

“Ah, thanks. I’ll be right out…” Weiss said as she slipped into the bathroom. Giving her a nod, Ruby waltzed over to her sister and leaned on the couch, questioning her about the show she was watching. Inside the bathroom, Weiss leaned on the sink and looked at her reflection. She looked like she could hardly keep her eyes open, much less her feet on the ground and her hands on the porcelain fixture. She’d never been here before…it was overwhelmingly odd. Slowly dragging a hand down her face, she took a deep breath. She wondered if there was anything she could do to make herself look less…rough. Or make herself less rough all-in-all.

Focusing back on her reflection, a sick grin made its way across her face. _Yang Xiao Long is related to Ruby Rose. Who would have guessed?_ She thought to herself, breathing out and feeling her smile subside. Flicking the flusher on the toilet, she washed her hands to keep up appearances and left the bathroom, peering out around the corner of the hallway. Ruby and Yang alike seemed transfixed on the TV, not noticing her walk out. Tilting her head and rubbing her hands on her shirt to dry them off, Weiss turned back and looked at Ruby’s door, studying it briefly and considering whether or not she should check it out. It only took her a second to make up her mind, and she reached out, turning the knob a bit slower than she would any other time and pushing it open with a certain measure of caution.

Inside it smelled like…roses. That wasn’t too surprising, though, as one of the first things she saw upon opening the door was a vase with what seemed to be fresh roses in it sitting on a desk right inside. The whole room had a theme which involved the spectrums of red and black color, represented in the furniture. The dresser in Ruby’s closet was faded dark grey, two sets of shelves beside the door and her desk sharing the same color. Her bed was shoved against the window wall with a string of currently unlit Christmas lights hanging over it, the bedspread peppered with a red/black checkerboard pattern and a desktop PC resting, as it should, on the desk baring several decals, the most noticeable of which being a rose stem wrapping around the outside of the screen, roses in the four corners. _Well…admittedly, she has a cute room. As would be expected…_ Weiss thought before walking to the bed and resting her hand on the blanket.

“So…you like it, huh?”

Jumping and almost falling over, Weiss rushed over to Ruby and grabbed her shoulders, a desperate look on her face. “You have GOT to stop sneaking up on me like that…” She moaned as she slid down to her knees. Patting her head, Ruby looked around and whispered ‘There, there…’, pulling Weiss back to her feet. Breathing out sharply, Weiss pulled at her shirttail and closed her eyes. “And, to answer your question…I do like it.” She answered, turning around. “I haven’t seen a made bed in seventeen years.” Rubbing her head, Weiss awkwardly smirked. “The color scheme isn’t that bad either. In fact, I’d say it goes great with…you.” She finished, her smile slowly fading as she looked down.

Putting an arm around Weiss’ neck, Ruby laughed lightly. “You should see Yang’s room. It’s like a lemon and a brown cow had babies and EXPLODED.” She enthusiastically stated, making a sweeping motion with her hand and squinting her eyes. At first Weiss was rolling her eyes, but she almost burst into laughter when she heard Yang say something from the other room, knowing that it must have been prompted by Ruby.  Putting a hand and a smile on her face, Weiss shook her head and got out of Ruby’s hold. One thing in the corner of her room had been overlooked, and Weiss cocked her head to get a better look. It appeared to be a medium-sized television resting on a freezer of some sort. “You have your own fridge in here?” Weiss asked, tugging on Ruby’s sleeve to get her attention and pointing at the freezer.

Shaking her head, Ruby walked over and opened it carefully, revealing that it was full of various frozen products. “Ah…no…this is actually an overflow freezer. The one in the kitchen is usually full already, so the rest goes in here.” She explained, tapping the door and shutting it. “Oh, and as for the TV, I guess you already saw the games and stuff. Yang has her own in the living room, but she doesn’t really use it very much. When she does…well…let’s just say that it doesn’t take a lot to light her fuse, and she PURPOSEFULLY plays on the hardest possible difficulty. Don’t even get me STARTED on her thing with Dark Souls…” She went on, about to continue when Weiss put a hand on her shoulder.

“I…haven’t ever had the chance to play games before.” She said quietly, Ruby pursing her lips.

 “Are you kidding?”

Shaking her head, the blonde shook her head, loosely crossing her arms. “Nope. I just…never have been around them. Unless you count computer games…” Weiss explained, looking down.

At that, Ruby clenched her fists and smiled wide. “I can TEACH you then!” Determined, she sat down at the far end of her bed, near the pillow, and opened up a cabinet below the set of shelves. Peering over her, interested, Weiss crossed her arms and sat down next to her, tilting her head. Pulling out a few different titles, Ruby held them up. “So, Weiss…what do you want in a game?” She asked carefully, her eyes barely showing over the edge of the cases she held.

Stuttering, Weiss shrugged. “A-ah…I don’t know right now…maybe I would get a better idea if you were playing one. I like watching.” She yielded, holding her hands out.

Pooching out her lip, Ruby looked at the games. “You sure?” She asked tentatively, Weiss‘ nod sealing the deal.

For about an hour, give or take, Ruby attempted to show Weiss the ropes and stay focused at the same time, which eventually resulted in her throwing all teaching ideas out the window and simply trying to get to her virtual goal. Luckily, Weiss had a good eye for background objects, so she helped her search areas she cleared. They were only stopped when Yang walked in and knocked on the door. “Yo. Food’s out there if you want it.” She relayed before nodding and going back into the other room, hands in her pockets. Looking at Weiss, Ruby put the game on pause and shrugged, getting up and walking after her sister.

Glancing back at the screen, Weiss listened to the distant menu tune before slowly following the crowd. She really liked Ruby’s house. It was much different than her own, but that was to be expected. Beginning to wonder when Ruby would come to hers, she quickly dashed the thought away. It…was a bad idea. Besides, she didn’t really have anything they could occupy their time with at her house. Shoulders slumping, she wondered why she was even here…she was practically just taking up space. Ruby seemed to like her around for whatever reason, but Yang seemed pretty indifferent. She guessed that was to be expected from a jock…that’s the head of the female wrestling team for you.

Washing her hands in the kitchen sink after Ruby, she sat at the bar behind it and looked down at a plate with various items. Earlier, she was too busy thinking to notice anything else, but she was now beginning to register the smell filling up the room. It was interesting…she hadn’t ever smelt anything quite like that before. She sat up straight, feeling a nudge on her side and looked down to see Ruby’s elbow, then up to meet her questioning eyes. Sighing, she guessed she was looking a bit deep in thought. Brushing the elbow away lightly, she focused on the food sitting in front of her and kept her face straight. Pressing her lips together, Ruby breathed out and turned to look at Yang, who seemed to be watching this unfold with a rather amused face, leaning her head on her fist.

Making a face at her in return, Ruby faced forward and tapped her foot on the inside of the bar. Taking a couple bites of what sat on her plate, Weiss’ face lit up. She often had to cook for herself at her house, and…despite that, she was far from a chef. In fact, she really didn’t have access to home cooked food that she would enjoy eating on a daily basis, but this was something else. Tilting her head, she looked at Ruby. “Your dad make this?” She asked, pointing at the food with her fork

 Responding with a nod, Ruby held her fork in her mouth for a bit before nodding again. “Yep! He’s pretty good at it. I guess that’s where I got my skill from too. He tells me I’M better, but I don’t know about that.”

Intrigued, Weiss leaned forward and motioned past her. “Is this a family of cooks?” She asked, getting a laugh out of Yang. A LARGE laugh.

“Pffff, no, no. I would probably set the oven on fire if I tried cooking anything. Heat just…doesn’t seem to behave the same around me.” She answered, brushing hair out of her face. “Well, I’m done. You two just…do what you do.” Yang said, walking away and waving her arms.

Chuckling lightly, Ruby turned to finish her meal, glancing at Weiss and watching her hop off her seat and bring her plate to the sink. “Wow, you too? Geez…and they call ME the vacuum.” Ruby joked, looking down at her plate. Shrugging, she followed Weiss and started to dump what was left on her plate, getting stopped by her, a hand on her wrist.

“I’ll finish it if you want me to. I…don’t really like seeing people get rid of food like that.” She offered, letting go of Ruby and putting her hands in her pockets.

Slowly tilting her head and puffing up her cheeks, Ruby handed the plate over to her, nodding. “Suit yourself.~ I’ll be back there.” She said, pointing her thumb in the general direction of her room and going down the hall.

Letting out a breath, Weiss sat back at the bar and touched her stomach. _I really don’t want to seem like a hypocrite, but…I don’t usually eat that much. What if I get sick…what if I end up throwing up in front of Ruby? Ughhh…_ She thought as she looked down. Picking up the plate and dumping it like Ruby was about to before, she shook her head and made her way back. _Better let the rats fight over it and not have it fight me._ She decided, quietly entering Ruby’s room and sitting behind her on the bed. Ruby pointed something out in the game as she started it back up, but Weiss didn’t pay much attention to it, regrettably.

Peering at the door, she wondered what Yang did in her free time. Did they have a punching bag or something in another room? She undoubtedly had friends of her own, but she never really seemed to notice Weiss, which was understandable. But…what caused her to be friends with Blake? An athlete and a bookworm…she supposed the relationship wasn’t too impossible. Anime and movies thought it was a good idea to do things like that, anyway. Slowly, Weiss’ mind started to wander, as it tended to, and her questions grew to be of a different nature. Just how good was their friendship? Maybe Yang liked her…but did Blake just go along with it, or did she feel the same way? What had they done…or…maybe a better question would be what HAVEN’T they done?

Shaking her head quickly, Weiss looked back at the screen. _Sometimes I scare myself with the things that pop into my head._ She lamented, watching Ruby’s character do seemingly trivial things for minor rewards. The purpose of fetch quests as narrative devices had always confused her.

After an hour or so, Ruby paused the game and laid back, her arms spread eagle. She simply stared up at the ceiling, a blankish look on her face. “So, you like it here, Weiss?” She asked, her head shifting to regard the blonde.

Nodding, Weiss looked out the window at the dark grey sky and began to dread the quickly approaching night it heralded. “Yeah…it’s definitely a lot different than what I’m used to. This place is so organized, and clean. Even your room is probably messed up by your standards, but by mine it’s perfect.” Weiss answered, stretching and yawning.

Making a slight noise, Ruby sat up and swung her legs off the bed, beckoning for Weiss to come after her. Following without question, she trudged out of the room behind her, the two making their way out to the backyard which was quite sizeable for the neighborhood. The real interesting part was the patio which encompassed a medium-sized pool, and a set of doors to the side of the house which Weiss could only assume lead to a cellar or something like that.

“Look down into the water. There’re these uh…lights that come up, and I think it looks pretty cool.” Ruby said, crouching by the edge and touching the water with the tips of her fingers. “Sucks that it’s kinda chilly outside…no good for swimming.” Standing up and yawning, she walked over and flicked a switch on the wall, several bright lights beginning to glow beneath the surface. Smiling and tilting her head, Weiss crossed her arms and stood by the pool, blinking a couple times then looking up slightly. Slowly walking back over, Ruby leaned over and looked into the water, nodding. Glancing sideways, she saw Weiss looking out and brought her eyes back front and center, sliding her hands into her back pockets with her thumbs sticking out.  

A long time had passed, long enough for the sky to completely darken and allow the glinting stars to be seen. Keeping her eyes fixed on a random point far above, Weiss put her arms by her sides. “Ruby…why do you do all of this for someone like me?” She asked slowly, working hard at making sure her face showed nothing.

Looking down, Ruby breathed out and put a hand on her hip. “I care about you, Weiss. You’re my friend, and I just want to make sure you’re happy…” She answered, holding her pose. They both stood still as statues in the night, the glow from the slightly disturbed water casting shimmering ribbons across their bodies.

Her eyes skipping between stars, Weiss closed them eventually, her head drooping. “But I don’t understand why you choose ME…you have plenty of friends, I’ve seen them, but you don’t…treat them like me. You may have even known them longer, and I just came out of nowhere…” She put a hand on her forehead and crouched, her eyes gazing downward at the shimmering lights below.

Resting a hand on her shoulder, Ruby also crouched, resting a knee to the ground and touching the edge of the pool to steady herself. She looked at Weiss’ face, and it slightly concerned her that she was seeing nothing in return. Peering into the water and sitting back, she put an arm on her raised knee. “Weiss, I just…I just want to see you smiling…I think you deserve it more than anyone else I know.”

Shuddering slightly, Weiss jumped back to her feet and put a hand on her forehead, looking at the back door. “I-I can’t…” She began as she started to make a run for the door but was stopped by Ruby’s hand on her free arm.

“Weiss…”

Freezing, Weiss stood still as stone, her entire becoming rigid except for her slumping shoulders and limply hanging head. Slowly beginning to hunch forward, she allowed her bangs to sweep across her face and obscure her eyes since she couldn’t see out of them at that point anyway. Keeping her blurred eyes fixed on a point that was far below eye-level, she opened and closed her mouth twice before actually saying anything. “Ruby Rose…I have to tell you something that I’ve thought for…a long time. I know we…we haven’t really…been friends for years…but…” Her body beginning to shake from tears brought on by fear, she kept her stance even as Ruby tried to hold her steady. “You’ve...tried to be there for me, and I…I just…” Clenching her fists, Weiss bowed her head deeper and let out a quiet gasp, shaking her head. “Words j-just…aren’t enough, but…essentially…I think I…I…”

 _No, no NO! GET IT TOGETHER, WEISS, COME ON! Why now…why me…why her…oh God…_ She thought in a fraction of a second, her body struggling to stay upright as her legs shook, any slight change in balance threatening to throw her to the ground. “I…l-lo…” Clenching her teeth, Weiss closed her eyes so tight it felt like she was crushing them as the words stuck in her throat. _You have to say this…you have to say this…PLEASE, just let me say this…I NEED this…I need her…_ Finally collapsing to her knees, Weiss let out a squeak and a sob at the impact on her palms, her tears dripping to the surface of the patio. “I _love_ you…I love you…” Whispering between sobs, she shook her head again and reached a hand up to wipe at her eyes, but as soon as she cleared them away more tears would flow and leave her right back where she started.

Kneeling down beside her as she fell, Ruby rubbed her back and tried to calm her down as the realization of her words began to sink in, giving the black-haired girl a new, nearly terrifying feeling deep inside. That was the first time anyone who wasn’t family had ever said those words to her, and they rattled her to the core. Softly shaking, Ruby let out a sharp breath and put a hand on her stomach, the organ feeling as if it’d suddenly become a ball of knots.

Sensing Ruby’s trepidation, Weiss let out a shuddering sob, her body slumping to the ground as her brain turned on itself, sending feelings of regret through her so strong they almost caused physical pain, a feeling of overwhelming nausea enough to make her gag washing over her. Weakly swallowing, she pushed herself to her feet and ran to the back door, smacking face-first into it and almost shrieking before yanking it open and sprinting to the bathroom.

Breathing in bursts, Ruby sat on the patio with her hand over her stomach, her eyes staring unseeingly into the house as her brain tried to process what just happened. Furrowing her brow, she shook her head and looked around, swallowing and getting to her feet with a shaky breath. Everything had happened so fast that she barely had the chance to _think_ , much less talk. Weiss’ confession…

Stumbling over to the wall and flicking off the pool’s light switch, she pressed a hand to her head and clenched her teeth, her eyes closed tight. “What _happened_? Did I say something wrong…?” Ruby whispered to herself, letting out one long, deeply held breath and taking time to straighten up her back. Looking straight up at the stars, she squinted her eyes and let her mouth hang open slightly, going over everything she and Weiss had done since the girl’s arrival. From the moment the blonde had walked in the door, her mind had been hard at work trying to consider all the possible scenarios, everything that she thought could happen, and this…this wasn’t anticipated.

Resting a hand on the doorframe, Ruby closed her eyes and breathed deeply before crossing the threshold, closing the door behind her and immediately spotting a very concerned-seeming Yang on the couch. Perking up at the sight of her sister, Yang walked over and hunched her shoulders, her thumbs slipped into her pockets. “Hey, sis…Weiss just…ah…” Lifting a hand and touching her forehead, Yang shrugged and straightened up slightly. “Any idea what’s wrong with her?”

Ruby didn’t respond immediately, her face paling as she looked down at the floor. Eventually, she looked up at Yang through the strips of hair which shadowed her face and nodded, moving past her sister and lifting her head as she reached the hallway, turning to enter the bathroom. Looking after her, Yang narrowed her eyes and angled her lips to blow a few strands of hair out of her face, crossing her arms. She briefly considered going after the two, but decided not to after she was struck by a huge yawn, instead hobbling over to the couch and flopping face-down among the cushions. Whatever was wrong, she knew that her sister was capable of handling it…that was just the type of girl she was.

Weiss had barely made it into the bathroom when she gagged again, the mechanism much more insistent this time. It felt like a heavy blanket of dread had just been thrown over her body, and the force in her guts pulled her to her knees as her body fought hard to keep itself from acting on it Eventually, she realized that her writhing would do no good and she desperately grasped for the toilet, her hands gripping like claws to the seat as she retched into the bowl, her body aching with both the force of her nausea and the persistence of her sobs. She continued crying and heaving until nothing would come up anymore, her body shaking in the aftermath of her negative energy boiling over.

Drifting into the hall, Ruby listened to the sounds Weiss was making and nearly began to tear up herself from the clear intensity. Breathing out hard, she dashed back into the kitchen and snatched a glass from the cabinet, filling it with cold water and carrying it with her back to the bathroom, her teeth clenched. “…Weiss…” She weakly called into the small space, her words reaching ears that couldn’t hear her. Stepping into the room, Ruby sat the glass on the counter and fetched a washcloth from the cabinet, wetting it in the sink before kneeling beside Weiss’ trembling form. “Hey…hey…” Whispering, she carefully laid a hand on the girl’s back in an attempt to coax Weiss into calming down, even slightly. A small smile crossing her lips, Ruby leaned forward slightly as the blonde gave into her touch, the shuddering in her body slowing to minor tremors.

“Here, Weiss…” Ruby continued, gently pulling Weiss away from the toilet as she flicked the flusher and pried her hands free of the seat. Swallowing and reaching a hand up to sweep her fallen bangs out of her own face, Ruby used the same motion to reach up and grab the washcloth from the counter, sitting cross-legged in front of Weiss’ hunched figure. “…Just let me…” She whispered under her breath as she narrowed her eyes, lifting Weiss’ chin with her free hand and wiping her mouth clean with the cloth, dabbing her entire face to clear away any remaining tears and sweat.

Watching the dark-haired girl do her work through clouded eyes, Weiss sat as still as she could while the damp cloth was drawn across her face, the finger Ruby had curled to raise her chin sending a shock of warmth up through her face. Swallowing, she gagged again at the horrid taste lingering in her mouth and lurched forward, pressing a hand to her forehead and clutching at her stomach with the other, her eyes forcing themselves closed. Letting out a shallow breath, Ruby rested one hand on Weiss’ shoulder and reached up, bringing down the glass of water with the other. Leaning forward, she gave Weiss a distant smile and brought her free hand down the girl’s arm, guiding the glass into her hands and holding it there. “You’re probably gonna want to drink this…” Softly shrugging, Ruby stood, whispering “I’ll be right back” and leaving Weiss alone in the bathroom.

Looking down at the glass in her hands, Weiss watched the water it held ripple as she shook back and forth, her lips contorted into a grimace. It didn’t make sense to her why Ruby was so persistently continuing to do things like this…despite everything. It just didn’t make any sense at all. Letting out a small, involuntary squeak, she felt the tears beginning to flow again as her mind pulled her this way and that, the swirls of questions in her head met only by more with every second she spent thinking about it. “…Stop it…stop it…” She whispered to herself, the corners of her mouth falling as if they were waited and her eyes narrowing to misty slivers. Beginning to shake again, Weiss smacked a hand to her head, clenching her teeth and growling at herself. “Please, stop…” Breathing hard between her teeth, she reached up and held the edge of the bathroom counter as tight as she could, using it to help her get to feet with a sway. Again, her eyes wandered to the glass and she felt her shoulders sink briefly before she shook her head and took a sip, patting herself on the cheek.

Setting the glass to the side, Weiss pressed both her hands to the counter and flipped her bangs out of her face, gazing up at her reflection from her hunched posture. “God, I look like shit…” Letting out a shaky, shivering breath, she averted her eyes from her face and lifted a hand, resting her fingers across her nose and breathing on her palm. She couldn’t believe that this was the result of her resolve…it seemed like this was just a reaffirmation that whatever the hell she tried to do was destined to fail.

Picking up the glass, she decided to heed Ruby’s advice and took several sips from it, swishing and spitting into the sink before taking a real drink to wash her mouth out. Her body still shaking from the ordeal, Weiss looked down and watched the fingers she’d pressed to the counter tremble, her knees knocking as well. Closing her eyes, she pressed a hand to her face yet again, tracing a finger under each of her eyes, down the tip of her nose, and across the corners of her mouth. If it was possible for skin itself to feel tired, she was sure that hers did. Leaning forward over the sink, she let the water run cold and cupped a hand underneath the stream, bringing it to her face and splashing herself. _Get ahold of yourself…stop this-whatever it is you’re doing-and just enjoy something for once. Please._ Glancing back up at her reflection, she narrowed her eyes and looked herself in the eyes. At least she didn’t look… _as_ bad as she did a moment ago. Maybe. Shaking her head, she let out a breath and stood up straight, her hands on her hips.

It was about that time that Ruby walked back around the corner and flashed Weiss yet another smile, taking her arm and leading her into the bedroom in a flurry of movement that the blonde was hard-pressed to keep up with. Squinting her eyes, Weiss looked around, her mouth hanging open. “What…did you do?” She asked quietly, mostly for reassurance that what she was seeing was correct.

Smiling again, Ruby shrugged and made a sound somewhere between a playful growl and a bird call, walking into the room and standing before her bed…or at least, where Weiss remembered her bed being. “I just figured we’d do something kinda different. I dug a bunch of pillows out of my closet and made a little fort on the bed~” Pulling back the blanket which was suspended by a few cleverly placed tacks on the wall and a couple poles tied to her bedposts, Ruby revealed a veritable paradise of pillows, the bed completely covered with them. Putting a finger over her mouth, the girl then began to hum as she walked past Weiss, closing the door and flicking off the light.

“I…can’t see anything…” Weiss said in a soft tone, holding her position with a bit of confusion, and, admittedly, some curiosity as well. Humming, Ruby let out a small laugh and flitted around her, reaching under the desk and holding up what Weiss could only assumed was an extension cord with a glowing red switch which illuminated the young girl’s face. Grinning mischievously, she flicked it on and suddenly glittering lights blazed to life under the blankets. “The…Christmas lights…” Weiss whispered, her eyes widening in awe. The sight was unlike any she’d seen before...a small space illuminated only by the slight, multicolored glow peeking its way out from underneath Ruby’s hung blanket.

Absolutely beaming, Ruby rested her hands on her hips for a second, admiring her handiwork before hopping under the blanket and peeking out at Weiss. “C’mon, join me!~” Slipping back under them, she disappeared from Weiss’ view and quietly giggled, bouncing up and down with excitement at her own idea.

Dumbstruck, Weiss stood still for a while as her brain struggled to take all of this into account as well, factoring it with all of the possibilities she’d considered and nearly collapsing from the weight of it all. Stumbling backwards, she caught herself on Ruby’s shelves and let out a breath from deep within, shaking her head and baring her teeth. _I’m not going to let you fuck this up too…not this time…_ Breathing in and out several more times, she straightened up and furrowed her brow, letting herself crack a small smile. _Alright…pillow fort. Let’s go._

Walking forward, she brushed the blanket out of her way and crawled up on Ruby’s bed, closing her eyes tight and breathing deeply through her nose. This…this felt like home. Under the protection of these lights, with Ruby by her side, she felt a breath hitch in her throat. What was the girl that sat next to her…was she even human? Was she a god?

Weiss watched as Ruby laid forward and opened a laptop computer she’d also brought into the fort earlier, browsing movies and asking for input, to which she replied ‘whatever you want’. All of this…it seemed way too good to be true…but as Weiss carefully laid a hand the small of Ruby’s back and felt the girl’s heat surge through her hand, she knew that it _was_ true, and that she _was_ sharing a bed with the girl of her wildest dreams. Eventually, Ruby settled on an old sci-fi flick, sitting up and smiling as it began to play on the small screen.

It didn’t take much time for the bundle of energy to crash, and she crashed hard. Curling around Weiss in a position the blonde wasn’t sure was even possible, Ruby was fast asleep within half an hour. Sleep didn’t come as easily to her guest, however, and she ended up watching the movie to its end, closing the laptop and carefully laying it to the side of the bed as she flopped over and breathed out. She felt like a foreigner here, and yet…Ruby still was comfortable enough to let her stay, to do so much for her, for whatever reason. That thought gave Weiss just the amount of reassurance she needed to slip into sleep, though that night her rest was light and fevered when it finally came.


End file.
